When the going gets tough, the tough get together: Brazil’s Globo, Latin America’s biggest media company, has struck an 18-title licensing deal with Netflix, led by one jewel in Globo’s crown, Walter Salles’ Academy Award winner “I’m Still Here.”
Kicking in from December, the agreement sees titles rolling out on Netflix through mid-2027.
The wide-ranging deal also takes in “India – A Love Story,” created by Glória Perez, the doyenne of Brazilian telenovela writers, and directed by Marcos Schechtman, which won the 2009 International Emmy for Best Telenovela.
Also in the mix is “Vitória,” directed by notable film-TV helmer Andrucha Waddington (“Under Pressure,” “Emergency 53”) and starring Academy Award nominee Fernanda Montenegro (“Central Station”) in a lauded central performance as an 80-year-old battling to expose a drug racket on Copacabana.
Rights details vary. Sold worldwide by Goodfellas in theatrical deals, “I’m Still Here” has been licensed just for Brazil. Netflix has closed the U.S. and Latin America, a telenovela heartland, on “India – A Love Story.”
Created by Leandro Soares and directed by João Fonseca and Regis Faria, seven seasons of “Vai Que Cola,” Brazil’s biggest pay TV comedy series hits, running over 2013-26, has been acquired by Netflix in Brazil. “Vitória,” in contrast has been bought for the world. The Globo original productions will be made available on Netflix, dubbed and subtitled in multiple languages. The package is comprised by 14 films, three telenovelas and a series.
“We hope this agreement is just the first step in a long partnership between two companies that share the ambition, creative craftsmanship and commitment to take Brazilian culture even further”, said Elisabetta Zenatti, VP of Content at Netflix Brazil.
“It makes us proud to see interest in Brazilian productions growing across different markets,” said Pedro Garcia, Globo’s Director of Rights. “For decades, we have been dedicated to sharing the richness of our culture with the world. By combining that experience with Netflix’s global scale, we take another step toward bringing Brazilian creativity to new audiences, expanding the presence and strengthening the recognition of Brazilian film and television abroad.”
Several broader market trends are also at work.
“The deal is a reflection of a wider trend in streaming,” said Guy Bisson, Ampere Analysis executive director. “Licensing spend is growing while original production spend is flat,” he added. “Content owners can no longer afford to keep their own content in long windows of exclusivity or in perpetuity given the challenge of customer acquisition in a saturated market so we’re seeing more content enter the market again and windows shortening.
Why Globo Is Important to Netflix?
“Both companies say the move underscores the power of Brazilian content to entertain audiences around the world,” Globo and Netflix noted in a press statement Monday.
Globoplay co-produced “I’m Still Here” and saw it gross a remarkable $36.5 million worldwide, racking up $17 million in box office gross outside Brazil, including $6.2 million for Sony Pictures Classics in the U.S. Globo announced at Mipcom that Globoplay Original “Red Blood,” a teen werewolf-vampire love triangle thriller, has sold at the BBC.
Equally, Netflix has seen a surge in international audiences’ passion for Brazilian fiction, movie “Caramelo” reigning s Netflix No. 1 non-English film in the world over Oct. 6-19 last year. “Rulers of Fortune,” and “Radioactive Emergency,” also hit the Netflix Global No. 1, Non-English show spot, over Nov. 3-9, 2025 and March 23-29 this year.
As a streaming service , Netflix reigns supreme in Latin America, where it has 63.8 million subscriptions forecast for 2026, which will increasing to 73.7 million by 2031, María Rúa Aguete, Head of Media and Entertainment at Omdia, announced at Mipcom. Brazil is said to have more Netflix subscribers than any other country in the world outside the U.S. at a time when international revenue growth is increasingly vital to Netflix’s fortunes. Globo can supply some of its drivers.